Is Berkshire Hathaway Stock a Buy Now?

By Justin Pope – Feb 17, 2026 at 6:19PM ESTKey PointsBerkshire Hathaway is transitioning nicely to new leadership.The company's strong fundamentals give the stock a high long-term floor.But without a catalyst or a cheaper valuation, there's not much of a reason to buy now.We’re bullish on these 10 stocks ›NYSE: BRKBBerkshire HathawayMarket Cap$1.1TToday's Changeangle-down(1.04%) $5.16Current Price$502.71Price as of February 17, 2026 at 3:58 PM ETNew CEO Greg Abel has begun to make moves for the world-renowned holding company.Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB +1.04%) (BRKA +0.46%) recently began a new era after longtime CEO and legendary investor Warren Buffett stepped aside and his successor, Greg Abel, assumed control on Jan. 1. It's an oddly uncertain time for Berkshire Hathaway, which has enjoyed decades of success, generating life-changing wealth for countless shareholders. But it's fair to wonder whether things will change now that Buffett himself is no longer leading the charge at Berkshire Hathaway. Is the stock a buy now? Image source: Getty Images.

Is Greg Abel preparing to make some moves? It cannot be easy trying to fill Warren Buffett's shoes. Perhaps the most difficult challenge Greg Abel will face is striking that delicate balance between making his own choices and maintaining the culture and business model that Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway on. Thus far, the company seems to be mostly wrapping up its transition efforts. For instance, Berkshire Hathaway kicked off the Greg Abel era by announcing it had completed its $9.7 billion acquisition of OxyChem from Occidental Petroleum, a deal struck in the fall. More recently, a regulatory filing revealed that the company may sell its 27.5% stake in Kraft Heinz, worth just over $8 billion. The troubled food conglomerate has sat in the company's portfolio for years, and it's just never worked out. These aren't earth-shattering headlines, but they clear the decks, so to speak, wrapping up some unfinished business from Buffett's time as CEO and poising the company to do some newer and more exciting things. Berkshire Hathaway has been selling more than buying for its legendary stock portfolio for the past several quarters. Time will tell whether Berkshire Hathaway invests more aggressively in tech stocks under Abel. Buffett was famously averse to the tech sector. ExpandNYSE: BRKBBerkshire HathawayToday's Change(1.04%) $5.16Current Price$502.71Key Data PointsMarket Cap$1.1TDay's Range$499.43 - $506.0652wk Range$455.19 - $542.07Volume349KAvg Vol4.9MGross Margin24.85% Struggling to find a reason to buy the stock now One certainty is that Buffett left Berkshire Hathaway with a fortress balance sheet, including a staggering $381.7 billion cash hoard, which gives Greg Abel ample flexibility in managing the company. The company's various operating subsidiaries also performed well in the third quarter. However, the stock currently trades at more than 1.5 times its book value, above its average over the past decade. Buffett himself would likely approve buying a fantastic company at a fair valuation, but Berkshire Hathaway, despite its many strengths, still faces some questions: What will Greg Abel's first significant move as CEO look like? What will Berkshire Hathaway do with all that cash? Can the company continue to grow as it has, given its massive size today? Berkshire Hathaway is fairly valued today; it's not trading at some once-in-a-lifetime price. Investors probably shouldn't worry about Berkshire Hathaway under Greg Abel, but there isn't much reason to rush to buy shares, either. Consider exercising some patience and either looking for a better buying opportunity or waiting for a bigger catalyst to justify investing sooner.Read NextFeb 16, 2026 •By Keith SpeightsIf I Could Only Buy and Hold a Single Stock, This Would Be It.Feb 13, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanShould You Buy Berkshire Hathaway Stock Before Earnings?Feb 7, 2026 •By Dan CaplingerWill Berkshire Hathaway Be the Same After Buffett -- or Better?Feb 6, 2026 •By Dan CaplingerWhy Berkshire Hathaway Is a Better Business Than You Might ThinkFeb 6, 2026 •By Adam LevyWarren Buffett's Successor Greg Abel Just Sold This Long-Time Berkshire Hathaway HoldingFeb 5, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPACould This Be the First Big Move for Berkshire Hathaway's New CEO?About the AuthorJustin Pope is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, and industrials. Prior to The Motley Fool, Justin was a business manager for an industrial company.TMFbeardedFiStocks MentionedBerkshire HathawayNYSE: BRKB$502.71 (+1.04%) $+5.16Berkshire HathawayNYSE: BRKA$754910.00 (+0.46%) $+3485.01*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.